District 1 News: Councilman Wilson

Hello everyone, In this month’s column, I wanted to highlight three available grant opportunities that I encourage you to pursue if applicable to your organization.

The first opportunity comes through the city’s Community Development Division of the Office of Management and Budget as Public Service Grants. These are federally funded grants available to nonprofit organizations serving Pittsburgh residents with low and moderate incomes. In the past, Public Service Grants have funded projects such as food pantries, youth programs, job training, career counseling, literacy programs and senior activity programs.

To be eligible to apply, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, have filed an IRS Form 990 (990-N, 990-EZ, or 990) last year, have a SAM.gov profile with a Unique Entity ID, be without any outstanding financial liabilities with the City of Pittsburgh or demonstrate an approved payment plan, have current general liability insurance and have current worker’s compensation insurance (only required if organization has paid staff). Applications are due by 5 p.m. on April 14, and must be submitted via this website: engage.pittsburghpa. gov/2023-public-service-grants.

The second grant opportunity is through the URA’s Avenues of Hope American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant program. Seven major business corridors have been identified as the official Avenues of Hope, including sections of Perrysville located in Perry Hilltop and Observatory Hill.

The program seeks to invest in existing small businesses and residents to support the growth of each neighborhood. Improvements such as public infrastructure, vacant commercial spaces andfaçade renovations, are some of the ways in which the funds can be used. There are two tier levels of funding available. Tier 1 grants can provide up to $50,000 and Tier 2 grants can provide between $50,001 to $200,000. Tier 2 grants do have a matching requirement of 10% cash equity by the applicant. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with quarterly deadlines. The first quarter deadline is April 30. For complete details on this program and to apply, you can visit ura. org/pages/avenues-of-hope-arpa or email AOHgrant@ura.org.

The third opportunity is through the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events Community Festival Grant Program. The program, established in 1977, provides financial assistance to neighborhood and community groups to launch and develop an annual event to bring together their community and foster togetherness.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be a non-profit, tax-exempt, Pittsburgh community-based organization, have been in existence for at least three years, the festival must be free, open to the public, and to the benefit of the community at large, and the festival must be a one-day, one-off event (not multi-day, weekly or monthly). The 2023 season runs from June 1 to Oct. 31 and applications are due by 5 p.m. on April 14. For more details on the program and to apply, please visit pittsburghpa.gov/events/ community-festivals.

I’m also excited to share that I have sponsored legislation to allocate an additional $300,000 to fully fund the design phase of the East Ohio Street Streetscape project. This project will seek to enhance and improve East Ohio Street from Cedar Avenue to Chestnut Street. Once the legislation is passed, my office is looking forward to working with the City’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure to hold public meetings with residents, businesses and stakeholders on and around East Ohio Street to share plans and solicit feedback on the redesign of this major business corridor on the Northside.

Finally, I’ve also introduced companion legislation to allocate $200,000 for new fences and additional improvements to the baseball fields at Jack Stack Park in Brighton Heights. It is vital to the community to provide these upgrades so that youth sports programs such as the baseball leagues that operate at these fields can continue to thrive and succeed.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the items discussed in this column or any other City issues, please call us at (412) 255-2135, email us at district1@pittsburghpa.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter. My staff and I are looking forward to hearing from you!